Short Black Caramel Lattes
by Sharyn
Summary: All it took was money, a cup of coffee and an evil ex for Ray to change every preconceived notion he had about Kai. [KaixRay]


**TITLE:** Short Black Caramel Lattes  
**CHAPTER: **1** - **Short Blacks  
**AUTHOR:** Sharyn  
**SERIES:** Beyblade (Takes only Beyblade and Beyblade V-Force into account, I haven't seen the others )  
**RATING:** R  
**WARNINGS:** Yaoi, kissing in this chapter, minor Tyson insults, OFC, alarm clock abuse, fluffy slippers and coffee (never a good combination when I'm writing it)  
**PAIRINGS:** KaixRay, bare mentions of TysonxZeo  
**ARCHIVING:** My LJ and FFnet, others please ask.  
**SUMMARY: **All it took was money, a cup of coffee and an evil ex for Ray to change every preconceived notion he had about Kai.

**DISCLAIMER:** Beyblade not mine. Never. If I owned it, Ray would fawn over Kai more than he fawns over Lee.

**DEDICATION:** For Jia as it has always been. I promised this fic for her about 2 years ago and finally at least a part of it sees the light of day.

-----

**Short Black Caramel Lattes**

-----

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The alarm clock sprung to life at precisely six o'clock, faithfully continuing its duty to his master by attempting to wake him up. A hand approached the side table, blindly searching for the source of the noise but after a few minutes of unrewarding searching, a low curse was uttered. The hand was raised slightly into the air, palm open and slammed down on the unsuspecting, and very unfortunate, inanimate object promptly shattering the clock's body and existence. Kai opened his eyes groggily and just stared at the ceiling of his lavishly furnished room. He turned to his left after his usual morning moment of cursing had passed and took note of the shattered alarm clock.

"Damn," he muttered.

Contrary to everyone's belief that Kai adored mornings since he was always the first up, he actually loathed getting out of bed. Mornings themselves weren't that bad, it was just the pure determination required to force himself out of the warm cosiness of his bed that he detested. Yet he had remained faithful to his early bird habits because he could begin his training early, when he was still fresh of body and of mind. Unlike some others, he didn't believe in wearing oneself out burning the midnight oil, what was the point in tapping all of one's strength so dry that one couldn't recover by morning? But despite his beliefs and such, it did not deter him from hating the moment he moved out of the quiet realm of the subconscious into the horror of reality and consciousness. And he even more so hated the catalyst that brought about this transformation, namingly any alarm clock that found itself placed on his side table.

_I could probably sleep to later than Tyson if given the chance,_ he thought to himself with a certain amount of disgust at the very tempting thought.

Tyson. The last time Kai had seen him or any of the other Bladebreakers was before they went their own way after the World Championships so many years ago.

_The one where I almost lost Dranzer for good,_ he thought bitterly.

He lay in bed for a moment longer before a revelation suddenly hit him, _he_ was the boss of this household and business, _he_ called the shots now. So if he wanted to sleep to noon, it was purely up to him.

"Fine," he said aloud to no one in particular and settled back into his soft covers.

The world moved so fast around him these days that he barely had a moment to spare to just sit down and be with his thoughts. On his eighteenth birthday, coincidentally the same day he graduated, he learnt that perhaps his grandfather wasn't as much of an idiotic bastard as he had initially believed. Kai came to inherit a huge manor, savings plus a family business that his grandfather had put aside for him. He knew his family possessed a reasonable amount of assets but he never expected himself to be the one inheriting it. At least he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to find a job was his only thought at the time next to _holy shit_.

The total assets' worth shocked him when the lawyer originally showed him the estimate number but most of all, it was the business that intrigued him. It was a chain store located in numerous countries that stocked Beyblade supplies but the most valuable part of the store was the fact that people didn't have to buy the things they desired. The idea behind the stores was that if younger kids wanted to buy certain Beyblade accessories, they may not have enough money but his store allowed kids to trade what they had themselves in for new parts. The theory worked even better when placed to actual situations.

He wondered briefly on how the other Bladebreakers were doing. He hadn't been in contact with them since they went their own way and he felt a twinge of nostalgia as he flipped through memories of times that seemed to only exist in a dream world. Tyson, Max, Kenny, Ray, Hillary. And Zeo. He tried to quash the involuntary tensing reflex as he thought of Zeo. Despite his apology and the fact that everyone else, including Max had forgiven the android, he couldn't. He knew that deep inside, the loathing, bitterness and despair he had felt when Dranzer was forcefully taken from him were permanently branded into his mind. And no apology would be able to erase that fiery mark.

A knock sounded briefly at his bedroom door disrupting his thoughts.

"Master Kai?" the family butler Wimbole said as he knocked.

Kai groaned despite himself, he couldn't even stay in bed for an extra half hour without being disturbed. He buried his head under his pillow hoping, feverishly, that Wimbole would leave him in peace even though Kai knew Wimbole, being the most faithful of servants, would do no such thing. As expected, the knocking continued.

"Is everything alright?" Wimbole asked, "Master Kai, I hope you remember your engagement with Miss Winters this morning."

Kai groaned again before finally getting out of bed. Wimbole too seemed to have sensed this and ceased his knocking. Miss Kayla Winters, the youngest head of Management of his business, situated in North America was someone who was pleasant enough to be around and to look at. But when it came to matters regarding the business and money, she was ruthless.

She was already waiting in the living room when Kai descended the stairs to the dining room for breakfast.

"Kai!" she exclaimed with a sigh of relief and followed him to the dining room.

"Hello Kayla, take a seat. Would you like something to eat?" Kai replied nonchalantly.

"Umm, thanks, I'll take an orange juice," she said.

Kai nodded to Wimbole to bring in his own breakfast and cater to her request. He directed his attention to her and raised an eyebrow in interest, prompting her to begin.

"I won't beat around the bush with you Kai. We're having some trouble in our New York branch. It seems we're losing business and money everyday due to unexplained disappearances in stock that is then showing up on the streets mysteriously," she said.

"Have you alerted the authorities?" Kai asked, pausing to take a bite of his toast.

"Yes but they can't do anything because they say we don't have enough evidence to support our claims. It's hard to find the evidence they want because most of the stock that has gone missing were trade-ins, originally _from_ the streets. We can't prove that they existed in the amounts listed, the authorities won't buy it."

Kai chewed thoughtfully for a moment before nodding for Kayla to continue.

"If I could be so bold sir, to request that you yourself take a look into this matter," Kayla finally said, her fingers clenching a piece of tissue nervously.

Kai considered the request for a while before allowing himself a small grin. It would be good to finally get out of the manor and visit old places and possibly old friends. He nodded his assent.

"Wimbole, book Miss Winters and myself on the first flight to New York available," Kai said, finishing his meal.

Kayla could only let go of a pent up breath in considerable relief.

---

Ray walked down the familiar strip of grass beside the canal where the Bladebreakers used to come to relax. He smiled in spite of himself as he recalled the pleasant times they spent here. He was back in New York partly on holidays and partly because of the success of his restaurant in Asia and Europe, he was looking into expanding to America. He hadn't completely given up on Beyblading through the years, he still practiced at local arenas and taught younger kids when he could find the time. And as of late, it had been becoming scarce, all the more reason for his holiday.

He had contacted Max to arrange accommodation and had learnt that Tyson had moved here less than a year back and he was working as a trainer at the Beyblade Institution. Max himself was helping his mother in Beyblade research along with Kenny while Hillary had opened a fortune telling shop that was apparently prospering quite nicely.

_Just like old times. The Bladebreakers are coming together again,_ he thought as he stared at the cloudless sky, _all except Kai._

He hadn't heard anything from the quiet introvert of the team with whom he had begun to form somewhat of a bond with. He used to enjoy Kai's silent company in comparison to Tyson's loud ruckus. And no one could ever doubt Kai's genius when it came to Beyblading, he had knowledge and his mind worked almost as fast as Kenny and Dizzy during battle and when he was observing. Max and Tyson both mentioned that they too had heard nothing from Kai.

"Kayla, I really don't want to go sightseeing, I have been to New York before you know," a voice on the other side of the river said in a level but stern voice.

Ray turned abruptly trying to find the owner of the voice that reminded him so much of Kai. Even though the comment wasn't very soft, its finality cut through the gentle evening just as Kai's decisions used to.

_Move along Ray, it was probably just your mind playing tricks on you,_ he thought as he continued to make his way towards the hotel Max arranged for him.

---

Kai struggled to arise from his bed as jet lag and fatigue ate at him. The clock beside him was already broken as he used it to spur on his determination to get up. He forced himself to change into some track pants and a tight T-shirt so he could begin his observation of the city. As soon as he landed last night, Kayla had insisted on taking him to the store and showing him records. It was decided that he would spend a few days taking a look around the city trying to get some information.

Kai bit back a gasp of surprise as he looked into the full length mirror in his plush hotel room. In his current casual wear and his hair still untamed from the night's sleep rather than meticulously styled sent him spiraling to the past. All that was missing was the paint on his cheeks. He grinned despite himself and tamed his unruly hair to the best of his ability using only a comb and water before changing his attire to a pair of tailored pants and jacket. It was already approaching winter and the temperature had already begun its decline.

On impulse he rummaged through his travel bag and took his launcher and Dranzer out along with his wallet and keys and pocketed them. Grabbing his boots, he left the hotel room quickly, yet still remembering to put a note on his door stating, 'Please replace alarm clock.'

---

Ray couldn't help waking up early the next morning even though he had stayed over at Tyson's place the previous night because they spent the whole evening catching up on missed years. He could hear Max's easy breathing, Kenny sleepy muttering and Tyson's snoring as he sat upright in his bed. He decided to cook breakfast to keep himself occupied. As delicious aromas wafted through the building, Max and Kenny awoke and Hillary had arrived to see Ray while Tyson's love of sleep and his love of food were engaged in a fierce battle in his subconscious. Finally, food won out and Tyson stumbled out to where everyone else was waiting anxiously to begin the meal.

"So Ray…you…wanna…come down to…the institution…with us…today?" Tyson asked between mouthfuls of food.

"Slow down Tyson, you're going to choke if you continue eating like that," Hillary reprimanded.

"Yeah, sounds fun," Ray interjected before Tyson had time to formulate a response to throw back at Hillary which would guarantee an argument to ensue.

"Alright! We'll go right after I scrape the pan…" Tyson said and promptly went off busying himself.

---

Since Kai's last visit, the city appeared to have changed little. Kids were still blading on the streets and challenges were still being issued. He paused to momentarily watch a match.

"Oh no!" said a young boy whose blade was knocked straight out of the dish and onto the road. He ran to the middle of the road to retrieve it without noticing the incoming truck until it was too late. On the opposite side of the road, a group of people shouted, "Watch out!" But the boy seemed unaware of the incoming danger until Kai ran onto the road and slammed the kid to the other side and safety.

"Be careful kid," Kai growled as he dusted himself off, wincing slightly as he brushed over a long gash that was starting bleed on his arm. The group of people that had tried to warn the boy ran up to see if the kid was alright.

"My blade!" he cried as he saw the shattered remains after the truck had passed over it. His eyes began to water until Kai shoved a card towards the kid.

"Go there and ask for Miss Winters to make you a new blade. Tell her Kai sent you," Kai said, hoping the kid wouldn't burst into tears.

"Thank you so much!" the boy said, tears immediately fading and being replaced by a excited look. He ran off without another word.

Kai stood up and looked at the boy's retreating shadow. He had done his good deed for the month, he thought to himself.

"Kai? Is that you?"

Kai turned around abruptly and inspected the group of people he had noted but given little attention to earlier. _No,_ he was shocked to find familiar, albeit older, faces staring back at him in surprise. Before he could react, he was being enveloped in a huge group hug.

"Back off," he said without much conviction and they knew it, "Really, my arm."

They let go and considered him, then his arm. Kai couldn't believe it, it was too ironic that Tyson, Kenny, Max, Ray and Hillary were there. It was too much of a coincidence.

"Kai, did you find a new career in heroism?" Ray teased and started to pull him along towards the institution.

Kai couldn't suppress a grin and playfully slapped Ray on the back. They reached the institution a few minutes later and Kai's arm was bandaged in no time. They then sat down and caught up on years past.

---

"Wow, so you actually own that upgrade store? That place where you can get new parts?" Tyson asked, astonished.

"You can buy parts but we took into consideration kids who didn't have that money, so instead they can trade for whatever they want," Kai said with a brief nod.

Ray had listened to Kai's tale the whole time, shocked and happy for his friend. He looked at Kai noting that he'd grown taller since they last met and even then he was taller than the rest of them. It was so strange to be seeing him without his cheeks painted. His face had lost the last bits of puppy fat revealing very prominent, high cheekbones. He held himself up with a regal kind of grace and not to mention his body, he obviously still worked out. Ray was amazed at himself, he was checking a _guy_ out?

His observations and disturbing thoughts were interrupted when Kai's mobile phone rang.

"Hello? Yes, I sent him over…only one…what? I'm on my way," Kai said before hanging up and preparing to leave, "I'm afraid I have some business to attend to.

"Hey, can I come?" Ray asked hurriedly, "the others have work but I'm here on holidays. Besides, I wanna check the place out."

"Whatever."

---

"You mean when the other street rats heard he was getting a free blade, they came and raided the store? In daylight?" Kai asked, disbelief written clearly all over his face.

Ray's expression had turned grim as he saw Kai's anger building up a little.

"Leave it to me Kayla, you ok yourself?" Kai said, only to be polite. When Kayla nodded, Kai had already turned around and was leaving the store.

Outside, Kai took a few breaths to calm himself while scanning the neighbourhood. He put one hand against his jacket pocket, feeling the reassuring presence of Dranzer soothe him somewhat. Suddenly, Ray grabbed his arm and pulled him into a small alleyway, clamping his hand over Kai's mouth to prevent him from uttering a sound. Kai shot Ray an angry glare with a hint of questioning in it.

Ray pointed to the kid Kai rescued earlier being hauled along the road by two much larger boys. As the trio walked passed, Ray relaxed a little. He then became aware of the peculiar look on Kai's face and realised he still had his hand clamped over his mouth.

"Sorry," Ray said and quickly let go.

"I'm not Tyson you know, I don't make unseemly girlish noises," Kai said with a snicker.

Ray apologised after a moment's hesitation and a tinge of red danced over his cheeks. He looked at Kai who was half submerged in shadow that seemed to only highlight his well defined features. Ray shook his head a little, trying to clear out the unbelievable thoughts that were running through his head as he looked at his friend.

_Blah,_ he thought,_ of course he has to look good. He is a millionaire after all._

Somehow his reasoning seemed less believable the more he thought about it.

Kai peered at Ray strangely for a moment as if trying to decipher the black haired blader's thoughts. He shrugged and then gave Ray a small shove.

"Let's move," he said softly.

They dashed out of the small alley and down the road, hot on the heels of their prey. They found them entering a deserted walkway further down the street and they stopped. The boy they met earlier that day was already sporting a few new bruises but his hand gripped onto his new blade with ferocity.

"Hand it over kid," one of the older boys said, aiming a punch to his stomach.

In an instant, Kai ran and gripped the fist before it impacted and did some decent damage.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said in a low, dangerous tone, "You might get hurt."

"Who do you think you are punk? You wanna mess with us?" the boy said, twisting his fist out of Kai's grasp while at the same time using the momentum to carry his other fist towards Kai's face, "Let's rearrange that pretty face of yours."

Kai moved swiftly out of harm's reach and his elbow connected with his opponent's jaw, making him stagger in the process before placing a well aimed kick to his stomach. The dangerous tone that had been present in his voice had moved to his eyes and a malicious glint was present in them as he watched his opponent fall. Behind him he felt the second of the two boys stir and come towards him. Kai spun around to see the boy above him, ready to kick his arm. Kai judged the distance and knew that it was too late for him to move away so he braced himself for, as he expected, the painful impact.

It never came.

When Kai looked again, he saw behind the second boy was Ray, whose foot had firmly lodged itself at the crook in the boy's neck, knocking him to the ground in a hard thump. Ray grinned mischievously at Kai before bending down to grab the boy by his collar. Kai proceeded to do the same with his initial opponent.

"Let me go! Let me go!" the boy in Ray's grasp shouted as he squirmed about, "I just want his blade's defense ring, then it'll make me the best blader on the streets!"

Ray looked incredulously at the boy, unable to believe his ears, "You think that with one ring you can be the best around?"

The boy glared at Ray before remarking smartly, "No one on the streets can been Edwin, you care to try?"

Ray coughed meaningfully trying to hide his upcoming splutters of laughter.

"Edwin, huh? Fine, let's go, right here, right now," Ray replied and dropped the boy in a messy heap at his feet.

Kai shook his head, some things never changed people were still challenging the Bladebreakers in this day and age, and dropped his load as well. He turned to look at the boy and asked, "What else do you know about the things that have gone missing from the store?"

"I'm not saying anything till the other guy beats Edwin," he replied stubbornly.

Kai was silent for a few seconds before saying, "That can be arranged."

He turned to watch Ray and Edwin prepare for their battle. After all the years since he'd last seen Ray battle, the childish delight that always appeared on his face before being covered by a more guarded expression as the battle neared was still present. Kai waited somewhat anxiously, curious to see if his former teammate had improved or gotten worse with the years.

"An all out sudden death match, if Ray wins, you tell us what we want to know," Kai said.

The other boy grinned a toothless grin, "Yeah, that's if he wins. And when Edwin wins, we get free upgrades of our choice."

Kai gave it a moment's thought before nodding. He believed Ray would be able to win, if he didn't, Kai would deny knowing him and ever having him as a teammate in the Bladebreakers right there and then. It was almost too hilarious to think about, Ray loosing to a street kid. Ray and Edwin stood opposite to each other on the street, using a small plank of wood as their starting arena. Both readied their beyblades and prepared to launch.

"Three, two, one, let it rip!" both cried at the same time.

The blades were launched and upon first impact five seconds later, one had already flown off the plank. Driger hummed softly as he continued to spin comfortably while the other beyblade had collapsed in a nearby heap.

"That has got to be the fasted match I've ever been in," Ray remarked, catching Driger in his open hand.

The Edwin and the other boy's mouths had fallen open and their jaws looked ready to hit the ground.

"Who are you?" Edwin finally asked after he gained some semblance of his wits.

"Ray, of the Bladebreakers," he said with a grin.

Another few moments of speechlessness ensued before excited squeals broke out.

"Can I have your autograph? You're Ray?! I fought Ray! Can you believe that? I actually battled against THE Ray!" Edwin said ecstatically.

"Alright now, honour your promise, tell me what you know," Kai broke in and demanded.

"I'm Edward, and Edwin's my younger brother," the boy said, "and we saw that the kid got a free blade and well. We wanted the defense ring on it because Edwin's broke a week ago in a battle with another gang. The street beyblading wars have increased in the past few weeks and lots of blades have been damaged. And I suppose that's why things have been going missing. Everyone knows that the upgrades at that store are the best and often most affordable around."

Kai snickered, "Which is why it is necessary to steal them."

"I don't know any more than that, I'm afraid," Edward said resignedly, "We gotta survive out here you know. Next to our fists and feet, our blades are the next thing that we have to protect our lives with."

Kai turned around and walked off, anger resonating from every step he took. The brothers stared after him and then at Ray who proceeded to follow.

"Um, Ray, who was that?" Edwin asked cautiously.

Ray turned to face Edwin and replied solemnly and concisely.

"Kai."

---

Ray caught up to Kai wordlessly and watched as Kai flexed his arm a little and saw him grimace a bit.

"That's the arm that you scraped this morning eh?" Ray asked, trying to make light conversation.

Kai didn't reply and continued walking.

"Where are you going?" Ray tried again.

Kai stopped suddenly and faced Ray.

"I'm going back to my hotel and look, if you want to chat, go find Tyson or someone," he said with controlled bitterness and spun around to continue towards his hotel.

Ray grabbed Kai by the shoulders and turned him around to face him. He just stared into his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. And he shook Kai, hard.

"Can't you understand that I just want to spend some time with you?" Ray almost shouted, pushing Kai back against the side of a building.

Ray clenched his fists together, bunching up the material of Kai's jacket before he let out a ragged breath and finally faced Kai. Kai had the same peculiar look on his face that was present when they were in the small alley together earlier. Ray turned away in embarrassment and let go.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," Ray murmured.

"Come on, let's go get a coffee," Kai said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had begun to form and grabbing Ray by the elbow, he directed them towards a nearby café. They entered the place and found a dark corner near the back of the café and sat down. A waiter promptly came and asked for their order.

"One caramel latte and one," Kai paused, gauging Ray's expression, "short black."

Ray had a questioning look on his face when Kai turned back to him again.

"You need a wake up call," Kai answered the unspoken question simply.

Ray managed a grim smile despite his discomforting situation. His mind had turned to mush ever since he made his stupid move on the street and he was unable to predict Kai's next move.

_Not that you ever could, _he said to himself.

"I thought you wanted to talk," Kai remarked and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Ray's mouth went dry as he heard Kai's comment and the words had barely settled on his mind before other thoughts took their place. Thoughts along the lines of, am I really attracted to guys or is it just Kai who makes me feel all tingly inside?

_Dammit_ Ray thought to himself, _the last thing I need on my hands is some kind of uncontrollable obsession with one of my best friends._

It was then that Ray found something to deter his mind's warped thinking.

"When did you get those earrings Kai?" he asked, finally getting a sound out after looking a bit like a goldfish opening and closing his dry mouth.

"Eh, long story there," Kai began but was interrupted by the waiter coming in with their drinks, "You sure you want to hear?

Ray nodded and took a sip of his coffee and couldn't help making a face. Kai laughed openly, the first time Ray had ever heard the melodic sound and the relaxed, joyful look on his face.

"Fuck, it's bitter," Ray said, grimacing.

"Which is why I ordered a caramel latte," Kai smirked.

"You ordered this for me," Ray pointed out.

Kai subdued his chuckling and passed his latte to Ray and switched their drinks.

"I used to drink blacks," Kai said, a dazed look appearing on his face.

Ray sipped Kai's caramel latte cautiously before finding he enjoyed the sweetness and heavy milk flavour with the subtlest hints of coffee, cream and caramel. He nodded for Kai to continue breaking Kai's reverie.

"I got my first hole in my left ear when I when I was in high school. Uptight private schools had rules against looking 'rebellious' and since my choices were restricted, I got my ear pierced just to be contrary," Kai said with a mischievous grin.

Ray laughed, he could imagine Kai being difficult just for the fun of it.

"As for the second one, around a year ago I met Ashley at a local Beyblade competition and we somehow ended up battling each other. I won easily and somehow ended up having late night drinks," Kai paused to drink his coffee and allowed himself a small smile, "and then early morning coffee."

Ray stared, open-mouthed at Kai, disbelieving of what his friend was saying.

"Don't look so shocked, it's the new millenium. Anyhow, Ashley then somehow conned me into getting another earring supposedly to look 'cool', I swear I must've been drunk," Kai said, "because the next day I woke up with a throbbing head and throbbing ear. And that's the tale of my other earring."

Ray nodded, feeling a slight tickle of jealously go through him.

"I used to always order a short black in the mornings with Ashley, but when we broke up half a year later I switched to caramel lattes," Kai continued softly, "I prefer life's sweetness rather than love's bitterness."

Ray thought about Kai's last comment as he finished the last of the latte. He closed his eyes and savoured the taste for a minute before opening his eyes to stare straight back at Kai.

"Life's sweetness still leaves the bitterness of love," Ray whispered and he leaned over, gently placing his lips on Kai's, smelling the rich aroma of coffee beans on his breath.

Ray pulled away suddenly as if struck by lightning and apologised profusely.

"Shit, I don't know what came over me," Ray said, distraught and somewhat repulsed at himself.

"You haven't come out of the closet too have you?" Kai asked, interrupting Ray's piteous tirade, the peculiar expression back on his face.

"Hell no, I mean I've never been really attracted to women before but I have never been infatuated with a guy," Ray said and adding a private thought, _until now_.

Kai opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Ray.

"What do you mean 'too'?" he asked.

Kai sighed in disbelief and replied, "Do you not remember my long and tedious tale about Ashley and my earring not ten minutes ago?"

Ray was so shocked he said the first thing on his mind, "Ashley is a guy?"

"Yes, Ashley was and still is a guy," Kai said, sarcasm present in both his voice and expression.

"Well sorry for not taking into consideration of all the gender neutral names around," Ray retorted with equal amount of sarcasm, "So you're um…"

"Just say it, yes I'm gay," Kai retorted with a snicker.

"Oh."

Kai leaned back into his seat as he watched numerous expressions pass over Ray's face. He wondered to himself briefly if telling Ray about his sexual preferences was really a good idea. He could see that Ray was still in confusion over his feelings and he knew that Ray had somehow become attracted to him in the course of the day, perhaps a mutation of the latent bond between them after all those years together in the Bladebreakers.

"I need to go back to my hotel to change and get a few things," Kai stood up and made sure he had a carefully measured expression on his face before he asked, "Are you coming?"

Ray nodded, a little uncertainly but followed it with solid determination as he saw that Kai wasn't waiting to see his answer. Kai had already made a move, for the game to continue, Ray would have to make the next move.

---

Kai couldn't help suppressing a grin as both he and Ray entered his top floor hotel room. His mind was moving at an insane pace as he tried multi tasking, managing Ray's positively distracting presence and the series of probabilities related to the street beyblading wars. He knew from his own days as the leader of a street gang, the Blade Sharks, that Darwin's law of survival of the fittest was present in blaring quantities when it came to street rivalry. Although he could understand the desperation that would lead to certain beyblading gangs stealing parts, what seemed wrong was the fact the thieving was done with such meticulous precision. There was something else that he was missing in his reasoning, and he would find out what it was.

"Take a seat, the mini-bar's over that way if you need a drink. I need to rinse off," Kai said drawing Ray's attention.

Kai entered the extravagant bathroom and locked the door, leaving Ray to sit down for a while and be with his thoughts. Ray looked around the room, taking note of the very stylish, and most likely very expensive, interior design and décor. Being in Kai's hotel room did strange things to his entire being and he found himself fidgety and unable to stay still for some reason. He mentally slapped himself and forced himself to settle down on a chair and tried to meditate to clear his mind.

He had learnt some things he never expected of Kai, not just about his lifestyle, but also his view on life and probably another side of Kai he never thought existed. A much wilder side. A side that enjoyed gross black coffee and drowned itself in liquor enough to do stupid things that would and should never be associated with the Kai he knew.

_The Kai you thought you knew you mean,_ Ray corrected himself.

He shook his head, trying to clear out his thoughts and concentrate on his meditation. It wasn't working, there were too many things around him that promised to be far more interesting than his monotonous meditating. He internally cursed every single one of them, from stupid gangs and pointless beybattles to that idiotic attraction for Kai and his damn plush hotel seats that could coax anyone into their warm and comfortable embrace. He wondered if Kai was as distracted as himself, ever since their talk at the café, he had been having doubts about himself and it was all no thanks to his fellow blader. Ray's attempted meditation was broken when Kai stepped out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe and fluffy slippers.

"Fluffy slippers?" he asked skeptically, trying to withhold his peals of laughter that threaten to strike at any moment.

"Shut up, the hotel doesn't provide non-fluffy slippers at this time of the year, so close to winter," Kai retorted, saying 'fluffy slippers' with as much venom and disgust as he could muster.

"They really suit you Kai. You exude danger," Ray said sarcastically before chuckling.

Kai muttered something that sounded like "Fucking hotel management" under his breath and trotted over to the mini-bar and poured himself a drink. He downed it in one shot and reached for the bottle again to pour another glass but Ray grabbed his wrist stopping him.

"Sorry Kai, I didn't mean it," Ray said apologetically, "I was a bit tense and probably tried to loosen up the wrong way."

"Just give me my drink," Kai said, staring straight into Ray's amber eyes.

"Why are you drinking so early in the day?" Ray asked gently but still not letting go of Kai's wrist, "You've changed so much."

"Thank you for the observation, Mr. Obvious," Kai snickered, "Unlike you I 'loosen up' using the same methods as every other human being."

"What's wrong?" Ray inquired, "Can I help?"

Kai laughed, a harsh mocking sound that was completely different to the rich melodic tone Ray had heard from him earlier at the café.

"Sure you can help," Kai replied with a sneer, "But I doubt you will."

With that comment, Kai used his free hand and forced Ray up against the side of the bar before slamming his lips down Ray's with a savage kind of ferocity. Ray froze in his spot unable to respond and his grip on Kai's wrist slackened. Kai grinned against Ray's lips before kissing him again, softer, still able to taste a little bit of caramel on the corner of Ray's lips. His tongue darted out to lick the spot and he could feel Ray shiver a bit from the sensation.

"You do know that cafés provide tissues," Kai murmured against Ray's lips, "although if you'd prefer me to do the cleaning, I have no real objections."

Ray opened his mouth to utter a reply but a knock on the hotel room door disrupted their activities. Ray breathed a sigh of relief, not because he was glad they were being interrupted, but more so because he needed some time to gather his thoughts together. Kai's closeness had turned his whole body and mind to mush and Ray wasn't used to feeling so uncontrolled. Not that he minded if Kai was the one making him feel so.

Kai scowled and let Ray go and moved to open the door and hopefully be rid of the interruption quickly so he could continue where he left off. He reached the door and flung it open, ready to verbally decapitate whoever it was at his doorstep. But as soon as he saw who was there, he froze.

It was Kayla. But it wasn't the prim and proper Kayla Kai was used to seeing. The Kayla Kai had always conversed with would have never look so disheveled nor would she have even allowed herself in his presence unless she was completely in control of herself. The woman at his doorstep could have been anyone had Kai not recognised Kayla's peculiar misty verdant eyes. Her long auburn hair was hanging loosely around her face and a series of scratches and bruises adorned her arms and possibly elsewhere only her clothes covered them. Yet even her clothes were torn in a few places and her eyes appeared to be unfocused.

"Kai…" was all she could say before she collapsed messily inside his room.

Kai quickly gathered her into his arms and closed his door with his foot before moving swiftly to his bed where he placed her down. Ray had a concerned look on his face but said nothing as Kai went into the bathroom to retrieve some towels and a first aid kit. He stripped her of her outside layer of clothing efficiently and began to wash her wounds without a word. The whole time Ray watched, uncertain of what to do yet not liking the fact that Kayla, popping out of nowhere, had successful attained Kai's full attention.

_You are so jealous aren't you?_ he thought to himself.

Kayla came to her senses in a short amount of time and gazed at Kai, a small smile appearing on her face. She lifted her hand and wove her fingers into his hair and attempted to draw him closer to her.

"You're awake," Kai said without emotion and disentangled himself from her grasp, "What happened?"

"Don't you love me anymore Kai? Why are you so harsh to me?" Kayla said, ignoring his questions.

"For fuck's sake Kayla, this is not the time," Kai said angrily, "Now goddamn tell me what happened."

Kayla stiffened at Kai's outburst of anger before replying, "I was attacked. I thought these scars on me would have made that fact obvious."

"Yes and I want to know why!" Kai demanded loudly, his patience slipping. As much as he was worried for Kayla's wellbeing, her presence at the moment was completely unwelcome and her random talk was severely testing his patience. Not to mention the fact he was afraid of what she would reveal in Ray's presence.

Kayla's eyes narrowed at Kai's furious demand and turned to look at Ray, as if just noticing he was in the room.

"What's _he_ doing here?" she spat out with considerable vehemence.

Kai stopped his ministrations of her injuries and slammed his hand down on the nearby table. His anger was full fledged now and Kayla's presence was unnerving him although he wouldn't have liked to admit the fact.

"What does it matter to you? I am your boss and I hold the right to ask my own employees questions that I would expect them to ANSWER!" Kai roared not bothering to keep his anger on leash, "And I don't need you to control which friends I spend my time with!"

"You never minded me doing so before…" Kayla said before struggling to her feet. She pushed herself away from the bed, and walked unsteadily towards the door, "Forget it Kai, go back to screwing whatever trash you picked up here."

Kayla was already out the door when Kai's fist clenched together and he smashed it into the wall.

-----

**A/N: **Before anyone asks, I don't know when the next part will be coming out. This fic has been in hiatus, I've worked on it on and off for the past 2 years or so. Yes I have it planned, no I haven't written the next part yet. This has been my favourite fic over the years because it has just stuck with me. It was also the first ever yaoi piece I wrote. I will attempt to finish it, and hopefully soon, but we'll have to see when inspiration strikes. (I wrote 4 paragraphs during the whole of last year yet I wrote 3000 words the first day I started this, I'm slightly unpredictable)

C&C make me high and I write damn good fiction when I'm high. And tell me if I'm making huge mistakes in this, since it has been 2 years since I last watched Beyblade and this is my virgin Beyblade fic. I attempted this fic with just a bit of practicality because honestly, Beyblades can't do _everything_.

Feel free to poke/threaten/urge me to finish, it gives me inspiration (as well as letting me know that people care).


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